Nuneaton Griff 4 v 1 Coleshill Town

First Team Match Reports 2006-2007

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Nuneaton Griff 4 v 1 Coleshill Town

Postby Alan Beckett » Fri Dec 01, 2006 8:29 pm

WEDNESDAY 29th NOVEMBER 2006
MIDLAND COMBINATION PREMIER DIVISION
NUNEATON GRIFF 4 v 1 COLESHILL TOWN
Scorer: Danny Carter.

If you were going to have a bet as to where the run of wins was going to come to an end, Nuneaton Griff would be odds on favourites. Coleshill Town's record against Griff is nothing short of disastrous, and it doesn't seem to matter if the team plays well or not, they still come home pointless. To rub salt into the wounds, Griff's secretary made a point of saying before the game that this was a great opportunity to lay the jinx to rest as he said "We are playing **** at the moment".

Mick Beadle had a virtual full strength squad and in the opening 25 minutes there was no indication of what was to come as Town took the "League Leaders" role in their stride and looked the part. Coleshill could, and should have been two or three up before Danny Carter scored with another wonder strike with only 9mins on the clock. Nuneaton looked like scared rabbits caught in a car's headlights as Coleshill passed the ball around and through them with ease in what was easily the best passage of play produced by a Coleshill team in many, many years. Man of the Match, Chris Butler made the first of many fine saves before the turning point of the game. Carter went clear on goal again but was caught in two minds and sent his strike well over the bar. Griff responded a minute later with an equaliser from Andy Dagnall with a first time shot from the edge of the box. In a game that should have already been out of sight for them, Griff were now up for the challenge and quickly figured out that the long ball beyond Coleshill's defence was effective with the normally dependable Ward, Hipkiss and Gardiner looking vulnerable.

Griff came out for the second half all guns blazing and soon took the lead through Tom Thacker with Butler only just failing to keep the effort out. Coleshill's young team had no answer and despite captain Josh McPherson's best efforts Town were second best in all departments. Griff scored again through Thacker's second and then Stef Jones made it four but in between Chris Butler saved again and again to keep the score down to just a hammering rather than a massacre.

It was probably expected that the floodgates would open sooner or later following such a long period without conceding (800 mins). The trick now is to get back to what was obviously effective and start the run again. Coleshill need to focus on the first 25 mins, confident that they are a still good team and this result was just a blip!
We are after all still Top Of The League!


Team:- Chris Butler, Mark Ward, Rob Hipkiss, Ryan Gardiner, Rob Ellis (Donavan Rowe), Simon Volante (Scott Wilson), Josh McPherson, David Brush, Michael Campbell, Danny Carter, James Dance. Sub not used Josh Gunter, Carl Smith.

Another View

Brian Atkinson reports from the Pingles Stadium

League Leaders Coleshill Town came to the Pingles Stadium on the back of a twelve match unbeaten run including ten straight wins, and for twenty minutes they looked like champions, a yard faster than the home side and with Dan Carter orchestrating every move, but Griff again proved to be their bogey side as they struck back in fine style, and but for some heroics by goalkeeper Chris Butler the margin of defeat could have been greater.
Every man gave one hundred and ten per cent for the Heartlanders and Coleshill had no answer to Thacker and Jones up front but it was in midfield that the home side shone for once with Plant industrious as ever, Rob Brassington having his best game in the blue and white stripes and the burgeoning Andy Dagnall putting in a Man of the Match display with two assists and a goal to his credit.
The pitch was wet on a cold clear night as Coleshill attacked the River End first and they were soon into their stride with some flowing football. A succession of corners put Griff under pressure and from one it was Alex Orton who headed off the line from a close-range attempt.
Griff seemed to have weathered the storm but were caught out on eleven minutes when Dan Carter received the ball on the edge of the area and as the home defence backed off he fired in an unstoppable shot into the top corner.
The Colemen were flying now but Griff gradually worked their way into it and on thirty two minutes got their reward when an Orton free-kick was flicked on by Thacker and Andy Dagnall drove in a low shot just inside the post.
Griff were now in the ascendancy and on top to the break and afterwards were on top with a tight defence and a creative midfield spurred on by De-Voisey. A barrage of crashing shots seemed bound to find the net but Thacker was thwarted by goalkeeper Butler and then a defender risked life and limb as he blocked a Jones thunderbolt.
Something had to give and on fifty minutes Grears kicked long and found Thacker who played Dagnall down the line and when the ball came back to him Tom Thacker hammered in a beauty which bent the goalkeeper double but he was unable to hold onto the ball which finished up in the net.
It was all Griff at this point and they nearly added to the total as the impressive Orton moved onto a Dagnall pass to cut inside and fire just over. Plant was then just wide as Thacker and Jones tore the visiting defence apart.
Coleshill had a little spell on top without troubling Grears but one seventy three Griff returned to the attack with Dagnall running clear on the right flank and hitting a low cross for Tom Thacker to thump home at the near post.
The visiting heads were down and De-Voisey almost stole another as he fired early past a slipping goalkeeper but just past the post.
On eighty minutes Griff put the icing on the cake with a simple goal, a punt high into the area by Plant for Stef Jones to get after a steer past the exposed goalkeeper., simple but so effective.
Nuneaton Griff: Grears, Orton, Cherrington, Wilks, Tatton, De-Voisey (R.Holtom 84), Dagnall, Plant (Brushett 86), Thacker (Barrett 85), Brassington, Jones. Subs not used: Kay, j.Holtom.
Coleshill Town: Butler, Ward, Gardiner, McPherson, Hipkiss, Volante (Wilson 45), Ellis (Rowe 74), Brush, Campbell, Carter, Dance. Subs not used: Gunter, Smith.
Referee: M, Walton (Loughborough).

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